If going from New Orleans to Sacramento in the middle of your first NBA season seems like a change, one must consider how far Buddy Hield has already come. Hield grew up in the Bahamas in a small settlement – a rough-edged area with little basketball tradition. Along the way to the NBA, he’s become known for his work ethic, which he attributes to his upbringing – and Kobe Bryant.

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Tyreke Evans hopes his return is more than a cameo appearance or, in the harsh reality of the NBA, that he is perceived as something more than an expiring contract whose $10 million salary comes off the books this summer.

DeMarcus Cousins says his prayers have been answered, although not necessarily in the way he expected. The New Orleans Pelicans’ newest All-Star maintains that he liked Sacramento and initially wasn’t happy about being traded, but he had become frustrated waiting through six-plus losing seasons for the Kings to add more elite players.

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Late last week, the Kings said rookie big man Marvin Bagley III would be ready to resume full basketball activities in approximately two weeks, but now Bagley says he is already running, jumping, shooting and working on his conditioning.